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In cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, Aeronautical Systems Center, Environmental Management Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio Analyses and Estimates of Hydraulic Conductivity From Slug Tests in Alluvial Aquifer Underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas To hoist Data logger N Naval Air Station-Joint A Reserve Base A' Static water Air Force Carswell Field level Plant 4 (NAS–JRB) (AFP4) Slug Pressure transducer A A' 700 Meandering AFP4 NAS–JRB Road Creek Goodland Limestone 650 Goodland Limestone West Fork Fill material and alluvial deposits Walnut Formation Trinity 600 River ABOVE NAVD 88 NAVD ABOVE ALTITUDE, IN FEET ALTITUDE, 550 Paluxy Formation 500 0 2,0004,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 DISTANCE, IN FEET Scientific Investigations Report 2004–5225 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Blank Page Analyses and Estimates of Hydraulic Conductivity From Slug Tests in Alluvial Aquifer Underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas By Natalie A. Houston and Christopher L. Braun In cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, Aeronautical Systems Center, Environmental Management Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio Scientific Investigations Report 2004–5225 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior Gale A. Norton, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Charles G. Groat, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2004 For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services Box 25286, Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 For more information about the USGS and its products: Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/ Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Houston, N.A., and Braun, C.L., 2004, Analyses and estimates of hydraulic conductivity from slug tests in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004–5225, 22 p. iii Contents Abstract . 1 Introduction . 1 Study Area . 3 Previous Studies and Available Data . 4 Slug Tests . 9 Theory . 9 Equipment . 9 Data Collection . 10 Analyses and Estimates of Hydraulic Conductivity . 12 Summary . 21 References . 21 Plate [Plate is in pocket] 1. Map showing locations of study area and wells in which slug tests were completed to estimate hydraulic conductivity in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas Figures 1. Map showing location of study area and distribution of trichloroethene (TCE) plume in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field (NAS–JRB), Fort Worth, Texas, August 2003 . 2 2. Generalized west-to-east hydrogeologic section through study area, Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field (NAS–JRB), Fort Worth, Texas . 3 3–5. Graphs showing: 3. Slug-induced water-level change (normalized) relative to time from slug-test data collected at Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field (NAS–JRB), Fort Worth, Texas, October 2002 . 13 4. Slug-induced water-level change (normalized) relative to time from slug-test data collected at Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field (NAS–JRB), Fort Worth, Texas, August 2003 . 17 5. Frequency distribution of hydraulic-conductivity values obtained from analyses of slug-test data collected from wells in alluvial aquifer, Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field (NAS–JRB), Fort Worth, Texas . 20 Tables 1. Geologic and hydrologic characteristics of hydrogeologic units underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas . 4 iv 2. Locations and results of pre-2002 aquifer and slug tests used to estimate hydraulic conductivity in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas . 5 3. Diameters of wells and dimensions of slugs used to estimate hydraulic conductivity in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas . 10 4. Location and site-characteristic data for wells used to estimate hydraulic conductivity in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas . 11 5. Summary of hydraulic-conductivity estimates, slug discrepancies, and 90-percent recovery times for wells in alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas . 12 Datum Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Analyses and Estimates of Hydraulic Conductivity From Slug Tests in Alluvial Aquifer Underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas By Natalie A. Houston and Christopher L. Braun Abstract (NAS–JRB) (fig. 1), adjacent to AFP4, opened as Tarrant Field Airdrome in June 1942, when it was used for flight training and aircraft operations. It now serves as a base and training facility This report describes the collection, analyses, and distribu- for the U.S. Navy and Marines and reserve forces of the U.S. tion of hydraulic-conductivity data obtained from slug tests Air Force and Army. completed in the alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Manufacturing at AFP4 required various solvents, paints, Worth, Texas, during October 2002 and August 2003 and sum- metals, oils, fuels, and other toxic chemicals; the associated marizes previously available hydraulic-conductivity data. The wastes—trichloroethene (TCE) among them—were dumped U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, into on-site landfills during most of the plant’s history (Envi- completed 30 slug tests in October 2002 and August 2003 to ronmental Science and Engineering, Inc., 1994). Ground water obtain estimates of horizontal hydraulic conductivity to use as containing TCE is known to have leaked downward from the initial values in a ground-water-flow model for the site. The alluvial aquifer into the Paluxy aquifer in at least two areas tests were done by placing a polyvinyl-chloride slug of known (Kuniansky and Hamrick, 1998, p. 2). TCE has entered the volume beneath the water level in selected wells, removing the uppermost (“upper sand”) interval of the Paluxy aquifer slug, and measuring the resulting water-level recovery over beneath parts of the east parking lot of AFP4 and flight line of time. The water levels were measured with a pressure trans- NAS–JRB (pl. 1); and lesser amounts of TCE have reached ducer and recorded with a data logger. Hydraulic-conductivity parts of the upper and middle zones of the Paluxy aquifer on the values were estimated from an analytical relation between the west side of AFP4 between landfill 3 (west of Bomber Road) instantaneous displacement of water in a well bore and the and former landfill 1 (now covered by the west parking lot). resulting rate of head change. Although nearly two-thirds of the The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with tested wells recovered 90 percent of their slug-induced head the U.S. Air Force, is studying the hydrogeology beneath AFP4 change in less than 2 minutes, 90-percent recovery times ranged and NAS–JRB to better understand the ground-water-flow from 3 seconds to 35 minutes. The estimates of hydraulic con- system, particularly as it relates to the subsurface movement of ductivity range from 0.2 to 200 feet per day. Eighty-three contaminants, including TCE. As a precursor to constructing a percent of the estimates are between 1 and 100 feet per day. ground-water-flow model for the site, the USGS did a series of slug tests to obtain initial estimates of horizontal hydraulic con- ductivity for use in the model. This report describes the collec- Introduction tion, analyses, and distribution of hydraulic-conductivity data obtained from slug tests completed at AFP4 and NAS–JRB Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) in Fort Worth, Tex. (fig. 1), during October 2002 and August 2003. Of 30 completed tests, was completed in 1942 and used to build military aircraft three were done on wells at AFP4 and 27 were done on wells at during World War II. Subsequently, this government-owned, NAS–JRB. The report also summarizes graphically and in tab- contractor-operated facility was used to manufacture radar ular form the results of available aquifer and slug tests done at units, missile components, and spare parts, in addition to air- AFP4 and NAS–JRB, primarily by consultants to the U.S. Air craft. Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field Force, before 2002. 2 Texas Worth, Fort and NAS–JRB, AFP4 Underlying Aquifer Alluvial in Conductivity of Hydraulic Estimates and Analyses 97º26' 97º25' 97º24' EXPLANATION LAKE WORTH TCE concentrations, in micrograms per liter Less than 5.0 5.0 to 49.9 32º47' 50.0 to 499.9 500.0 to 4,999.9 5,000.0 to 10,000 Study area boundary AFP4 and NAS–JRB boundary Wes Creek t Fork Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) Road g Naval Air Station- Trinity Meanderin Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field (NAS–JRB) River 32º46' Building 181 Far mers Branc Creek Study area Fort h Worth TEXAS White Settlement Base from U.S.